CHAPTER 88

I WILL SURVIVE IT AGAIN...

The evening air was cool, and the streets carried the lazy rhythm of a city winding down. Maya walked briskly, hugging her shawl closer around her shoulders. She had promised Abigail she would call once she got home, but something in her chest wouldn’t settle. The confrontation at the jewelry store had replayed in her mind over and over.

She thought it was finished that Obetta had stormed away, leaving nothing but her usual trail of venom behind. But Maya underestimated how far Obetta was willing to go.

Her phone buzzed in her bag. She paused beneath a streetlight, pulling it out. The number flashing on the screen was unfamiliar. Frowning, she hesitated before answering.

“Hello?”

The voice that came through was smooth, sharp, and unmistakable.

“Good evening, Maya.”

Her heart dropped. “Obetta.”

A low chuckle followed. “You sound nervous. Don’t be. I just want to… talk. Woman to woman. You can meet me, can’t you? Unless, of course, you’d rather I make things public.”

Maya’s grip on the phone tightened. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you’ll know soon enough,” Obetta replied, her voice curling like smoke. “There’s a little secret of yours I’ve stumbled upon. Quite interesting, actually. I thought you’d want the chance to discuss it privately before I share it… widely.”

Maya froze, her mind racing. A secret? She had worked so hard to build herself into the woman she was now, burying the shadows of her past. The thought of Obetta knowing anything about it made her stomach knot.

“Where?” Maya asked quietly.

“Smart girl.” Obetta’s smile was audible. “There’s a little café two streets from where you are. Quiet, discreet. Ten minutes. Don’t make me wait.”

The line clicked dead.

Maya’s feet felt like lead as she walked, but she didn’t stop. The café Obetta mentioned was dimly lit, nearly empty except for a waiter yawning behind the counter. At the far end, Obetta sat in a booth, a glass of wine in her hand, her nails tapping against the rim.

When Maya entered, Obetta’s lips curved into a slow smile. “Right on time. How obedient.”

Maya slid into the seat across from her, keeping her posture straight even though her stomach churned. “Say what you have to say.”

“Oh, no rush,” Obetta purred, swirling her wine. “Let’s enjoy this moment. I must admit, you’re braver than I thought. Most people run from me.”

“I’m not most people,” Maya said evenly.

“Clearly.” Obetta’s eyes glimmered with amusement. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Do you remember a little incident from your past? A scandal, if I may call it that. Back in your early years of university.”

Maya’s breath caught. Heat surged to her face. She prayed Obetta was bluffing, but the look in her eyes told her otherwise.

“I see you do,” Obetta said smoothly. “The story of the girl who…” she paused deliberately, savoring the words, “was caught up in that rather messy rumor about the professor.”

Maya’s heart pounded so hard she thought it would burst. It wasn’t true not the way people had believed it. But the whispers, the judgment, the humiliation had been real. She had clawed her way out of that shadow, rebuilt her reputation, and sworn never to let it define her again.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maya said, her voice trembling slightly despite her effort to sound strong.

Obetta chuckled, tilting her head. “Oh, I know enough. I know how you were accused of being… let’s just say, less than proper with him. A scandal that nearly ruined your name, hmm? How embarrassing that would be, if it resurfaced now.”

Maya’s hands balled into fists on her lap. She wanted to scream, to defend herself, but she knew Obetta didn’t care about truth. All she cared about was power.

“What do you want?” Maya asked flatly.

Obetta’s smile widened. “Finally, the right question. It’s simple. Stay away from Abigail. Stop following her around like a little lost dog. She doesn’t need you she has me, whether she admits it or not. And if you insist on staying in her shadow, I’ll have no choice but to let the world hear about your… history.”

Maya’s throat tightened. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, darling,” Obetta said, her eyes gleaming, “you really don’t know me at all. I would. And I’d enjoy it.”

For a long moment, silence stretched between them. The sound of a spoon clinking against a cup somewhere in the café felt painfully loud.

Maya forced herself to meet Obetta’s gaze. Her body shook with anger and fear, but deep in her chest, something stronger began to stir.

“You think you can scare me,” Maya said quietly. “You think you can drag me back into that place I fought so hard to leave behind. But you don’t understand something, Obetta.”

Obetta raised a brow, amused. “Enlighten me.”

“I survived it once,” Maya said, her voice steadying. “And I’ll survive it again if I have to. You don’t hold the power you think you do. That rumor nearly broke me, yes but it didn’t. I’m still here. I’m still standing. And if you try to use it against me, all you’ll do is prove what kind of person you are.”

Obetta’s smile faltered slightly, though she masked it quickly with a scoff. “Brave words for someone standing on a knife’s edge.”

Maya leaned forward now, her eyes locked on Obetta’s. “No. Brave words from someone who has nothing left to lose to you. You can expose me, Obetta. You can try to humiliate me again. But I won’t give you the satisfaction of seeing me crawl.”

Obetta’s jaw tightened, her wineglass clinking as she set it down harder than she intended. “You’ll regret this,” she hissed.

“Maybe,” Maya said softly, rising from her seat. “But not as much as you’ll regret underestimating me.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out, her steps heavy but unwavering.

Obetta sat fuming in the booth, her nails digging into the wood of the table. She had expected Maya to crumble, to beg, to yield. Instead, Maya had walked out with her head held high.

“Oh, you’ll break,” Obetta muttered under her breath. “If I have to shatter every piece of your past, I’ll make sure you break.”

But even as she spoke the words, a small, uneasy thought tugged at her. For the first time, she wondered if perhaps Maya was stronger than she had calculated.

When Maya finally stepped outside, the cool night air hit her face, and tears pricked her eyes. She walked quickly, her heart heavy, her mind spinning. Obetta had found her weakness, dug into the wound she thought had healed.

But as she moved through the quiet streets, she replayed her own words in her head.

I survived it once. I’ll survive it again.

She clung to that thought, letting it steady her trembling hands. For years she had carried shame like a chain, pretending it didn’t exist. But maybe Obetta’s threat was forcing her to confront it at last not as something that defined her, but as something she had overcome.

She knew one thing clearly: she wouldn’t let Obetta use her past to control her future.

Not anymore.